Golf-club holder.



Patented May 6, i902.

W. H. JOHNSON.

GULF CLUB HOLDER.

(Application filed May 2D, 1901.)

(No Model.)

.fio

j n UNITED STATES PATENT fifties..

WILLIAM I I; Jonsson, .oF IIAVERH'ILL, vIvIAssAoHUsn'rfrs.'

(sollt-,..iLos HOLD-sa; f l

" Y SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No.4699,39 1, dated My 6, 1902.

'Applicationiiled May 20,190.1. Serial No. 60,970. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it mor/gy concern,.-

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM -a citizen of the UnitedStates, residingv at Haverhill, in the county of Essex and StateE 5 of Massachusetts, have'invented certainnew and useful Improvements in. Golf-Club Holders, of which the following isa specification. f My invention is'. intended to," provide a device forholdin g golf-clubs by means of which the clubs maybe conveniently carried, vmade readily available for use, and kept lseparate and prevented from chafiug against oneanother oragaiust the parts of the device itself, l and which shall also Vpossess certain otherad-` vantages, hereinafter set'forth, over the bags commonly used heretofore.

The main features of my invention comf' prise a base adapted toV receive the handle ends of a lnumber of clubs and a head connecvtedA to said baseand adapted to detach- Y ably engage the' shafts`of the clubs, also'the l combination,with-the-parts just described, of a spike or blade' adapted to'bedriven into the ground to hold the device in a vertical provided,i with Y ajdoublel bottom forming a y compartment in which balls may be carried, allof which features, together with others of parts thereof in adiierent position; and Fig. l 4

5 is a central' vertical section through the lower part of the device, showing a modified construction. Y Y

i My carrier comprisesa base 2, a head :3, and a rod 4, connecting the same. and pref- 45 erably 'passing through the centers thereof.

The bas'e2 isvforrned to receive the handle ends o@ a numberof golffclubs '5, one ofvvhich is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and is preferably provided with a double bettelnv com- 5o posed of two .disks 6 and 7, secured'to the rod Y 4 at a suitable distance apart to. provide be i tween them a compartment adapted to reposition, also a base, such as above described,

' V less impornefwill be hereinafter described Figs. 2 and'3 are cross- `cive a number ofgolf-balls 8, asshown in Fig. 1, the outer walls of the'compartment being formed by a strip 9, of leather, metal, -or other suitable materia1,secured tothe edges l of said disks. In order to give access to the interior of said compartment, one end of the strip 9fmay be 'left unsecuredto vsaid ,disks and provided with ufeans, such as a strap and buckle 10, whereby it may be detachably fastened againstthe edges of said disks to Vclose the compartment,v as indicated kin Fig.' 2, after a ball hasbeen inserted or withdrawn. The top' disk 6 is adapted te form a support 65 for the lower ends of the clubs -when placedv in the carrier, and in orderto keep said ends in place on the disk 6 the strip 9 may be exf tended upward above .said disk to form a ref taining ledge or Wall.V I also prefer to secure a. supplementarydisk 11 to the rod 4 a 'short distance above thedisk 6, Vwhich disk- 11E is provided at its periphery with a numberof. Yrecesses 12, as best shown in Fig 2, each` forming, inconnectionwith the vstrip 9,L a-75v socket adapted to receive one club, the clubs carried by the device being thereby kept sepv arate. A L

'Ihe disks 6, 7, and vll may be securedto the rode in any desired manner; but my 8 0 preferred construction on account of .its simplicity is to screw-thread the lower end `of said rod, as shown at 13 in Fig. 5, and to screw the disks 6 and I11 upon said screw-- threaded portion until they are pro'perlylo- 85 cated thereon,the bottomdisk 7 beingclamped firmly in place by means such as a collar 14, secured thereto and to said rod 4. Y

The headB/is provided witlLa series of de vices corresponding in number to theA sock- '9o ets 12, each adapted to receive and hold the shank Vof a golf-club, and in order to. accomf modate my holder to clubs of different lengths I prefer to make said head adjustable-on the rod 4 by providing it with a col-lar 15, adaptf` 95Kr ed to be looked to the 'rodA in any desiredpo# sition by means of a set-screw 16 orotherwise.A -A The device for engaging the Shanks of the clubs which. I prefer to'employ is illustrated :ou in plan view in Fig. 3 'and consists cfa conitinuousstrip vof spring metal bent to ,formi` a v series of springsockets 17, surroundfngthe' head 3 and located, respectively, above the A sockets 12, each socket 17 being of such size that its sides will be spread 'laterally by the insertion of the shank of a club and will close upon the same after insertion and hold it in place. Instead of forming said sockets 17 in the manner described they may be differently constructed, oreach may be made of a separate piece of metal, as will be evident. At the top of the rod 4 may be secured a cup 18,\adapled to hold a sponge 19 for cleaning the golf-balls, and said cup is-preferably provided with a spring-cover 20, aording a flat surface on which score-cards may be carried. x

It is one of the features of'the holder above described that it is adapted not only to keep the clubs separate from each other, thereby lpreventing abrasion and chai-ing of their shafts and handles, such as occurs when the clubs are carried inthe bags now commonly used, but also to stand upright on its flat base either in a locker or on hard level ground, thus still further protectingy the clubs from defacement and damage, and in order that the holder may also be made to stand in a Vertical position on soft, uneven, or sloping ground I prefer to provide it with a spike or blade` 21, adapted to project downwardly from the bottom of the hase 2 and to be driven into the ground on which the holder is to stand, said blade or spike being rigidly connected with a handle 22, which serves not only as a means for inserting and withdrawing said spike, but also for carrying the holder itself. Said spike may beformed integral with the central rod, in which case the rod/1 is extended below the base 2 and has its lowerI end sharpened to form the spike 21', as shown in Fig. 5, and the handle 22 is attached directly to said rodat any convenient point; but I prefer to provide for the withdrawal of said spike above the bottom of the base 2, so that the holder may be able to stand upright on said bottom when desired, and to this end the central rod 4 may be made hollow, as shown in Fig. 1, the spike 21 being adapted to slide within said hollow rod. In this case the handle 22 will be secured directly to said spike by means such as screws 23, passing through a'slot 2% cut in one side of the rod, as shown in Fig. l. As thus constructed, the lifting of the holder b v means of the handle v l22 automatically withdraws the spike from the ground and' in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 leaves the bottom of the base 2 unobstructed by anything which would prevent standing the holder on said base on a flat door or other surface. When the holder is set down on the links, the handle is forced downward, thereby driving the spike into the earth beneath the base and causing the holder to maintain its vertical position regardless of the 4 character of the ground on which it rests.

The described construction of the head, base, and central rod provides for a very compact arrangement of the clubs, and the han- Vwit dle 22,- passing between the shafts of the adjacent c1ubs, projects outward beyond the same far enough to be conveniently grasped, and as it is located between the head and the baseiof the holder it may be placed so near the center of gravity of thecombined holder and clubs that the weight of the heads ofthe latter will cause the device to assume a convenient nearly-horizontal position when carried bysaid handle. If/desil-ed, provision may be made for carrying one or two very short clubs by securing a supplementaryhead 3 to the rod 4 below the handle 22, as shown in dotted vl-ines in Fig. 4,which head will be provided with `one or two spring-sockets 17 or equivalent devices'.

In addition to the advantages above described my holder possesses the further features that the clubs can be cleaned without removing them from the carrier and can be inserted and removed with greater ease and with less chafing than heretofore; and" all odor\kdue to wet leather or canvas is entirely obviated.

I do not consider my invention to be limited to the details of construction herein shown and described, as they'may be variously modified without affecting .the main features of my invention. A 1

I claim as my invention- 1. A portable golf-club holder comprising in combination'a Hase provided with means for receivi'ngthe handle ends of, a series of clubs, a rod rigidly secured to said base at its center, a head rigidly secured to' said rod above the base and provided with means for detachably engaging the shafts of said clubs, and holding the same in proximity to said rodand a handle secured to said rod between the base and head and projecting outward between and beyond said shafts.

2. A portable golf-club holder comprising in combination a base provided on its top a series of sockets, a rod rigidly secured to s id base at its center, a head rigidly secured to said rod above the base and provided with a series of spring-sockets corresponding to the sockets in said base and adapted respectively to detachably receive the shaft of a club, and a handle secured to said rod be- IOO IIO

tween the base and head and projecting outv ward therefrom between and beyond, said shafts. A

3. In av device of the character described, the combination of a base having a double bottom forming a compartment as described, means for obtaining access to said compartment, means carried by the top of said base for receiving thehandle ends of a series of clubs, a head provided with means for detachably engaging the shafts of said clubs, and a rod connecting said head and base.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a base provided with a series of sockets, a head provided with means for detachably engaging the shafts of a series a spike Ycarried by said rod, and a handle rigidly connected to said spike.

5. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a rod, a blade or spike adapted to slidelengthwise of the same, a handle connected 'to said blade or spike, and means carriedr by said rod for detach ably holding a series of clubs.

6. In a device of thecharacter described, the combination of a base, a hollow rod passing through the center thereof, a head carried by said rod,means for detachably securing a series of clubs to said head and base, a blade or spike adapted to slide` within said rod and to be projected below the bottom of said base, and a handle secured to said blade or spike.

7. In a device of thecharacter described, the combination of a base p rovded with a se- 'ries of sockets, a head provided with means for detachably en gaging the shafts of a series of clubs, rigid connections betWeensaid head and base, a blade or spike mounted to slide past the bottom of said base, and a handle rigidly secured to said spike.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a base, avhollow rod nsecured to said base and having a slot in its side, a head carried by said rod, means for detachably securing` a series of clubs to said head and base, a blade or spike arranged to slide within said rod, a handle mounted to slide upon the exterior of said rod, and conuections passing through said slot for rigidly uniting said handle and spike.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rod provided near its upper end with a head and means carried thereby for detachably engaging the shafts of a series ofe clubs, two disks 6 and 11 carried by said rod near its lower end and spaced apart, as described, the upper disk being provided With a series of recesses forming sockets, a disk 7 secured to said rod vbelow said disks 6 and Il, and a strip of flexible material secured to the edges of said disks along a'portion of their peripheries and left unsecured thereto for the remainder of its length, and means for detachably fastening the free end of said strip to the secured portions thereof, for the purpose set forth. f

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rod provided with means for detachably engaging the shafts of a series Y of clubs, two "disks carriedvby said rod and spaced apart to form the top and bottom of a compartment,a series of sockets located above the top disk and open at their outer edges, and a strip of flexible material securedto the edges of said disks and extending above the top disk, thereby forming a compartment in connection with said disks and also serving to prevent the outward displacement of the club-handles, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed myiname this 15th day of May, 1901. WILLIAM II. JOHNSON.

Witnesses: y

OLIVER R. MITCHELL, E. D. CHADWICK. 

